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Hacks On Tap

Monumental Power Grab (with Paul Begala)

Hacks On Tap

Hacks On Tap

News Commentary, News, Government, Politics

4.87.7K Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 71 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, Murphy and Heilemann welcome Paul Begala — longtime Democratic strategist and political hand who’s seen just about everything Washington can throw at you. The Hacks break down Trump’s Beltway power grab and what it means for D.C.’s mayor — and mayors nationwide. They dig into Trump’s “flood the zone” strategy to sidestep the Epstein story, the Texas Democrats’ walkout over redistricting, and how it all could shape the midterm elections.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, I'm Joe Wiley. And I'm Soie Ball. And we're here to tell you about a brand new podcast, Digit.

0:06.3

Digit is all about the things that Joe and I love. From the kids to the parents and all the stuff in between.

0:13.5

There's a lot going on when you get to this age. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and watch every episode on Spotify. Dig it. Every week. Every week.

0:23.6

For the rest of time. Yes. Okay. Good.

0:25.8

Hey, pull up a chair.

0:39.8

It's Hacks on Tap with David Axelrod and Mike Murphy.

0:50.1

You know, my father always used to tell me.

0:52.4

He had a wonderful father, very smart.

0:54.9

And he used to say, son, when you walk into a restaurant and you see a dirty front door,

1:02.3

don't go in, because if the front door is dirty, the kitchen's dirty also.

1:08.0

Same thing with the Capitol.

1:10.3

If our Capitol's dirty, our whole country is dirty, and they don't respect us. So it's a very good question. You know, his father originally heard that from the furor, too. That's something else he'd tell young Donald. I'm going to fact check that. First of all, his father was not wonderful. And second of all, I'm sure the real story was if you walk into a restaurant and you see it, and you see it has a black owner, get the fuck out of there. Right, right. And what his father also said is, that's what he means by dirty. Hey, loser, I'm ashamed of you. That's what his father really said. But hey, I'm here of Johnny Isleman, Ackerous, and we have brought in a heavyweight guest, a real friend of the show, a great American, a feisty Texan, and a soon-to-be

1:29.6

EV driver, because I brought in a heavyweight guest, a real friend of the show, a great American, a feisty

1:45.5

Texan, and a soon-to-be EV driver, because I've been working on him. The one, the only Paul

1:50.2

Bagala is with us today.

1:52.3

Polly. Thanks for having me. It's Paul. I'm so happy to see you in all your Texas shit.

1:58.1

Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Oh, yes, I'm repping barbed wire,

2:01.4

the barbed wire.

2:02.4

Yeah.

2:02.9

It is the best,

2:04.5

I think.

2:04.8

It's new.

...

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